


Two of Wands

by cookiehands, nb_ryuji, TransAkiraKurusu



Series: Fool!Goro [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arcana Swap (Persona Series), Content Warnings in Chapter Notes, Gen, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Slow Burn, Trans Akechi Goro, Trans Kurusu Akira, Trans Sakamoto Ryuji, VERY funny jokes, actually most of the PT are trans but those are the most notable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookiehands/pseuds/cookiehands, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nb_ryuji/pseuds/nb_ryuji, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransAkiraKurusu/pseuds/TransAkiraKurusu
Summary: Goro Akechi is the protagonist and everyone's arcanas are swapped. Wacky hijinks ensue.Check out our tumblr @foolgoro-au
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Akechi Goro/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Fool!Goro [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782679
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	1. The Old and the New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [CONTENT WARNINGS: mild misgendering/deadnaming (unintentional)]
> 
> Just a heads up, Goro uses they/them pronouns and Akira uses he/him; both only in private :) sorry if this is confusing

“Since they’ve been the talk of the town lately, we’ve decided to bring back two of our most popular guests for a live interview. Please give a warm welcome to high school detectives Goro Akechi and Ren Kurusu!”

Goro tries not to squint as they look past the blinding lights and wave sheepishly to the cheering audience. They glance towards their partner, seated directly next to them on the uncomfortable, yet lavishly decorated couch. The show host sits directly across from the two teenagers in a fancy-looking chair. 

“We’re happy to be back,” Goro says. 

“Akechi-kun,” the host begins, locking eyes with the detective. “it’s been quite a while since anyone has heard from you. Care to explain?”

“Ah, yes.” Goro nods, already having their answer pre-prepared. “To put things simply, I was injured for a short period of time. I’m fine now, of course, but I’m afraid I can’t go into the details of what happened.” 

The audience makes a sound of collective disappointment.

“That’s quite the shock! I’m sure Kurusu-san was quite worried. How was she faring with all this?” 

“Oh, of course, I was worried!” The other detective interjects. “I’m not sure what I’d do without Akechi-kun; it wouldn’t be the same working all alone. The little bit of time he was gone... Well, I’m honestly just happy to have him back.”

Goro chuckles. “I apologize for leaving you, Kurusu-san. I’ll try to make up for my time away.” 

The show host quirks an eyebrow and laughs. “You two are quite the pair! Is your relationship like this on the field as well?”

“Well,” Goro says, shifting in their seat to cross their legs. “in a way, yes. Naturally, the work setting will result in a slightly different dynamic, but Kurusu’s….energy is everlasting” 

Maroon eyes meet gray for a moment as Goro turns to look at their partner, _Akira_ Kurusu- not Ren. Goro’s been told to keep that a secret between them, and it’s one they’ll take to the grave. Though, as one trans person to another, Goro can’t help but feel bad for Akira. 

Goro watches Akira twirl his ponytailed hair, thick and dark, as he speaks. “You’ll have to get used to it, Akechi-kun.” He winks, keeping up the girly image. “We’ll be going to the same school, starting tomorrow.”

“Is that so?” The TV host asks, looking between the teenagers. “Is this related to that incident you mentioned? Or is that top secret?” She giggles.

“It seems that way, yes,” Goro explains. “but my transfer actually has nothing to do with it. To be perfectly honest, that would be much more exciting than the real reason.”

“Now you’ve got them interested.” Akira teases, elbowing his partner gently. “He’s transferring to make our partnership easier to manage….or so he says~”

Goro slaps their partner lightly on the arm in return as the audience eats it up. 

“Say, Kurusu-san, aren’t you younger than Akechi-kun? How does it feel being taller than your senpai?”

“Oh no,” Goro insists. “She’s only a few centimeters taller!”

* * *

“‘Only a few centimeters’, hm?” Akira says to Goro as soon as the dressing room door is closed. 

The brunet grumbles as they loosen their tie. “I really need to get a new set of shoe inserts.”

“It must suck being….what, 152 centimeters?” Akira throws his blazer aside. Goro follows suit and lays theirs gently next to the other. Black and brown. Matching, except for the mirroring buttons. 

Goro huffs as they grab a spare change of clothes from a bag. “ _160,_ actually. I don’t think heels could save me if I were only five feet tall.”

“Either way, you’re short.” Akira shrugs. He turns away as Goro begins to change, grabbing clothes for himself in the process. “Also, you owe me dinner.”

“Tch, they were rather quick with that first question,” Goro says after tugging a blue sweater vest on over their shirt. They avert their gaze while Akira pulls a shirt over his bra. 

He shuffles the shirt around to hide the bra strap. “Do you blame them? It’s not every day the detective prince goes missing.” 

“Well…” Goro pauses. “perhaps, instead, I could just take you back to Leblanc?” 

“That’s not dinner.”

“No, but you like the coffee.”

“I do,” Akira replies, now with his casual blazer on - fully dressed. “Well, I’m always free to stick around longer if you wanna deal with me, Honey.”

Goro’s face flushes softly. “I’ll make up for the bet some other time, so consider this...an apology.” 

“I’ll hold you to that, you know.” 

“Oh, I count on it.” 

Akira smirks. He picks up both his bag _and Goro’s_ and holds the door open. 

“What a gentleman,” Goro says, stepping through. 

“Anything for my senpai.”

The detectives’ banter subsides on the subway ride to Yongen, neither of them wanting attention drawn to them. Goro must have nodded off at some point, because the next thing they know, Akira is pulling them up from their seat and leading them off the train. The brunet is only half awake as they are led through the station behind Akira. 

It’s only when they arrive at the cafe that Goro steps ahead of their partner. “After you.” They say, holding the door open for him. 

“Thanks, dear.” Akira walks in and takes his spot at the counter. “Hi, Boss.”

“Hi, dad.” Goro greets Sojiro and seats themself next to Akira.

“Hey, kids.” Sojiro nods to them, already preparing their coffee. “What’s the occasion?” 

Goro shrugs. “Just wanted a break.” 

“And coffee,” Akira adds. “if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Never has been, kid,” Sojiro says. “By the way, you just missed Futaba. She was watching your show in here, but left to video chat with her friend.” 

“Oh,” Goro grimaces. “she was watching it? Great…” 

“Don’t give me that look. She missed you, you know.” 

“Mhm, I’m sure she _hated_ being an only child for a week.” 

Sojiro smacks Goro on the head lightly. “Quit it! I’m serious.” 

Akira stifles a laugh as the brunet rubs their head in pain. 

The older man sighs, then fixes his eyes on Akira. “You don’t have any siblings, do you?”

“No,” Akira says. “and from what I know about Sakura-chan I’m happy about that.”

“Heh, I don't blame you,” Sojiro says. “but she and Goro like each other more than they’ll admit.”

Goro shakes their head profusely.

“Oh, well you’d be the one to know that, wouldn’t you? Akechi can be stubborn about the smallest of things, it seems.” Akira lets out a fake sigh. “Maybe one day they’ll come around.”

“I’m not stubborn.” Goro insists. 

Akira hums. “Oh, my apologies. I must have confused you for someone else, then.”

Sojiro snorts and pauses his work to cross his arms. “If you’re not stubborn, then I have a full head of hair.” 

Akira smirks after a moment of silence. "Seems you've been backed into a corner, sad to see the ace detective go down this way. Though I suppose it's fitting." 

“Uh-huh,” Goro says, putting a hand to their chest. They really regret falling asleep in their binder earlier; now their chest hurts. 

The next few minutes go by slowly and quietly as Sojiro grinds the beans and serves the coffee.

“Here.” He says, sliding two cups across the counter. 

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

The older man grunts. “No problem. By the way, Goro, don’t forget we have to drop by the school today.”

“Ugh, right.” Goro picks up their coffee cup, deciding it’s cool enough to drink. 

“Lighten up. I’m sure it won't be _that_ bad.” Sojiro says. “They even said they’d get the student council president to give you a tour.” 

Akira rolls his eyes. “Knowing her, that won’t be very exciting. You’d be better off if I showed you around.” He takes a long sip of his coffee.

“You’d like that, wouldn't you?” Goro teases. 

“Of course. It’s always a pleasure to be around you.” Akira’s seat buzzes, causing him to take out his phone. He sighs as he checks the message and sets his cup down - empty already. "It's been lovely talking to you both, but I think it's time I take my leave. Rather not worry the old man too much." 

“You drank that quite fast.” Goro's eyes widen at the cup. “Well, safe travels. Perhaps we’ll see each other at school on Monday.”

Akira nods as he leaves his seat, patting Goro on the shoulder after a moment. "See you later, don't miss my cute face too much while I'm gone." 

“Take care, kid,” Sojiro says as Akira walks out.

Goro stares at the door as the bell rings quietly. They wonder what sort of text Akira had gotten. 

“I’m gonna close up shop so we can head out,” Sojiro says, interrupting Goro’s thoughts. 

“Will Futaba be joining us?” 

“Not unless you can convince her it's worth it.”

Goro immediately pulls out their phone and texts their sister.

**Goro: You’re making me go to school alone with dad? :[**

**Headache: suck it. i have plans 2night**

**Goro: Ugh.**

**Goro: You’ll miss out on seeing a pretty girl.**

**Headache: …..**

**Goro: The student council president will be showing me around. I’m sure it wouldn't be a problem if you tagged along.**

**Headache: you know what**

**Headache: plans canceled. it's bother goro time ρ(•̀⌄•́)**

**Goro: ..hoo boy**

The detective sighs and puts their phone away. “Yeah, she's coming.” 

“Well, that was easy.” Sojiro already has his blazer and hat on by now. He stands at the door, ready to go. “Come on, we can grab her on the way to my car.” 

Futaba was already waiting by the door by the time they got there. As soon as she locks eyes with Goro, she starts sprinting towards them and tackles them with the biggest bear hug they’ve ever experienced.

“OOF-” Goro nearly falls over from the force. “Wha- what's this for?” 

Futaba releases Goro and snickers. “You’ve been gone all day, what did you expect?” 

“I don’t know, a normal greeting?” The detective groans. “Maybe I shouldn't have invited you.”

“Too late!!” 

Sojiro chuckles at the kids as he heads for the car. “That’s enough, you two. We’re kinda on a time limit, here.” 

Futaba sticks her tongue out at Goro before turning back to follow Sojiro, her black, low hanging pigtails bouncing behind her. 

Both kids sit in the back seat, as per Sojiro’s request (this has been the subject of many arguments before). Goro can’t help but scowl at Futaba’s choice of clothing. “Couldn’t you have changed into something nicer?”

“Are you dissing my crocs?” She lifts her foot and rests it against Goro’s leg. The green crocs have several decorative charms in the holes. 

“Get off!” They grab their sister's shoe and pull it off her foot. “You're going to get footprints on my pants.” 

Futaba sticks out her tongue.

“Stop doing that!”

Sojiro gives the kids a look from the rearview mirror, which shuts both of them up immediately. Goro tosses the shoe back to Futaba, who slips it back on over her black thigh high stockings. 

Futaba fumbles with the buttons on her jacket. “Should I take these off?” She asks nervously. 

Goro eyes her lesbian and nonbinary flag pins and shrugs. “They’re small; I doubt anyone will be closely looking at your chest.” 

“Mmmm… what if I just made you wear the NB one?”

“What? Why?”

“It’s called sharing, dear sibling.” Futaba states.

“I don’t-” Goro picks at the button on their dress shirt sleeve. “I don’t need it.” 

“Yeah, okay.” The younger girl squints at Goro’s blue sweater vest. “I was just trying to add some style to your outfit.” 

“Thanks?” 

“Maybe next time.” She hums, turning to look out the window. 

Goro stares at their hands, clasped in their lap. They don’t know why, but they feel very nervous about this visit. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of it; they had no idea what this school would be like. Akira never talked about school, or anything private, really. Sure, Futaba would be attending her first year here as well, but they’d be two whole floors apart, so that wasn't exactly comforting. Either way, Goro doesn't exactly plan on interacting with her publicly. 

The detective sighs as the car parks near the school. Futaba gives them an encouraging pat on the shoulder before she exits the vehicle. 

The inside of the school wasn't anything special. In fact, it looked less impressive than Goro’s last school. 

A young girl stands by the entrance. Her dark brown hair rests just above her shoulders, which are draped by a cozy-looking, brown sweater. As the girl’s deep red eyes dart between the trio, Goro can’t help but feel she looks familiar. 

“Welcome to Shujin Academy.” She says, holding her hands behind her back. “My name is Makoto Nijima; I’m the student council president this year.”

Ah, that's why. She’s Sae-san’s younger sister. 

Goro can see Futaba blush out of the corner of their eyes. 

Nijima continues, “Before we begin, I’d like to direct you to Principal Kobayakawa’s office. There, you will be given your student ID, and meet your homeroom teacher. The principal also has a few words to say to you, Akechi-kun.” 

“Thank you, Nijima-san,” Goro says. 

The student council president motions for the group to follow, the heels on her boots clicking as she walks through the halls. 

As they approach the principal’s office, Nijima stops by the door. “They’d prefer it if only Akechi-kun and his guardian were present, sorry.” She grimaces at Futaba. “I can wait out here with you.” 

Goro smirks at their sister, who seems to be resisting the urge to hit them. 

“Oh!! That's- that’s fine!” Futaba says a little loudly, suddenly nervous. 

Nijima nods, fumbling with something in her hand. Is that a rubber band?

Goro thanks Nijima one more time before leading their father into the office. 

The first thing they notice is the absolutely _massive_ man sitting behind the desk. He almost looks like he’s melting into his suit. 

Next to the large man, presumably the principal, is a tall, gruff-looking man in a black turtleneck. _That must be my homeroom teacher,_ Goro thinks, studying the man’s long gray hair, tied back in a bun, as the adults talk amongst each other. 

Goro just begins to notice the tattoo behind the teacher’s turtleneck before the man meets Goro’s eyes with a glare. The detective immediately returns their attention to the conversation.

“Wonderful!” Kobayakawa says as Sojiro signs a paper. “I’m so glad you’ve chosen to transfer to our esteemed school.” 

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” Goro responds. 

“While you’re here, I’d like to introduce you to your new teacher.” Kobayakawa gestures to the other teacher. 

“I’m Munehisa Iwai.” The man grunts, handing over a small card. “This is your student ID.” 

The detective accepts the ID and glances over it. _Goro Akechi,_ it says. 

“As per our agreement, all of your public documents will be written with your stage name. The only ones who know of your true name are myself and Iwai-san.” The principal explains.

Good. Goro’s last school did this as well. No one else needs to know that their name is actually Goro Sakura. 

“The school promises to accommodate Akechi-kun's needs as requested. Within reason, of course.” 

“Much appreciated.” Goro gives their new principal a small bow. 

“Now, I believe you’ve already met Nijima-san. She’ll be showing you around the school today.” Kobayakawa smiles, which squishes his face like a pile of uncooked dough. “You won’t regret your transfer.” 

Iwai nods. “Stop by the faculty office tomorrow and I’ll get you into class properly.” 

* * *

Futaba is ranting to Nijima when Goro exits the office. “Did you know Pac-Man was originally going to be named ’Puckman’ but it was changed because they thought American kids would cross out the ‘P’ and put an ‘F’ because you know Fuc-“

“Hi, Futaba,” Goro says.

“WAH!” Futaba spins around. “Goro!! You're back!” 

“I think I’m gonna head back to the car if that's alright,” Sojiro says, following out behind Goro. “An old man like me doesn't need to see all this.” 

Nijima nods. “That’s quite alright.”

“Okay. You two behave.” Sojiro says to his kids. 

“Yes sir!” Futaba salutes. 

“Of course,” Goro says.

The dad smiles warmly at both of them before heading out. “Don’t worry, I remember the way there.” 

“Ah, well…” Nijima brushes her bangs out of her face. “Let's start with the first floor, then.” 

Futaba was surprisingly decent during the tour, though Goro assumes Nijima is somewhat to blame. She is rather pretty, Goro will admit. They're impressed she was kind enough to show Futaba her classroom on the 3rd floor.

“This is your classroom, Akechi-kun,” Nijima says once they’ve gotten back to the first floor. “I will also be in this class if you need any help from me.” 

“Thank you so much, Nijima-san.” Goro smiles at her. 

“I’m just doing my job.” She says, then frowns. “Oh- I didn't mean to come off as rude. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s quite alright. Say, how is Sae-san doing? I haven’t seen her since….”

“My sister? Oh, she...she was pretty worried.” Nijima averts her gaze. “I’m glad you've ah...recovered-” 

Futaba leans on Goro and groans. “Gorooo, I wanna go home!” 

Goro pushes her off. “Be patient! We’re almost done.” 

“ _You’re_ almost done. I’m leaving now.” Futaba skips ahead, back towards the entrance of the school. Goro follows her reluctantly after giving a short goodbye to Nijima. 

“So, how was it?” Sojiro asks once both kids are back in the car. 

“I’m tired,” Goro mumbles, leaning against the window. “Talking to people is hard. Being around Futaba is hard.”

“Heh, what a rough life.” 

Futaba waves her hands around. “I got to talk to a pretty girl!!!” She slumps back in her seat. “And I am also tired.” 

Goro stares out the window as their dad starts the car up and drives back home. The sun is already beginning to set, but they felt like the day just started a few minutes ago. 

The trip back is quiet and slow, due to unforeseen traffic. 

Sojiro lets out a sigh. “You two are going to have to take the trains starting tomorrow. I don’t think my blood pressure could handle being stuck in traffic like this every day.” 

“Alone time with Goro?” Futaba gasps. “I thought it was a myth.”

“Is it really alone time if we’re crammed into a compartment filled with strangers?” Goro asks.

“Uhh...next question!”

“Ugh,” The detective bonks their head against the window glass. “I hope you know that I don't plan on walking with you.” 

“I hope you know that I don't care.” Futaba sticks her tongue out at her sibling. “I’m fine all on my-”

Their conversation is interrupted by the radio, which Goro didn't even know was on until now.

“Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya station, greatly affecting the timetable across the-”

Goro groans loudly. They're sick of hearing about these stupid accidents. It’s enough to hear it at work, with Sae-san complaining and Akira being helpful-yet-unhelpful like always. Goro loves their coworkers, of course, but being around them as often as they are can get very irritating.

“Another accident?” Sojiro inhales sharply. “There's been a lot of those lately...guess that explains the traffic. You two won’t feel unsafe tomorrow, will you?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Goro mumbles. _None of the train incidents have happened on mornings where we have school._

Sojiro and Futaba continue to converse, but Goro tunes it out until they arrive back at the house. 

Futaba bounces up and down by the door as Goro takes off their shoes. “Short! Short! Short!” 

Goro glares at her. “I’m still taller than you.” 

“Barelyyyy...” Futaba says, nudging her sibling. 

“Don’t touch me!” Goro nudges her back, harder. 

Futaba pushes back. The two siblings begin slapping at each other until Sojiro interjects by clearing his throat. 

Goro grunts an apology and shuffles back to their room. They immediately change out of their binder and into comfortable pajamas, then flop into bed. 

They scroll through Instagram for a bit- it seems Akira is trending at the moment. After breezing through his tag, Goro feels their eyes beginning to get heavy. It’s a bit too early to go to bed, but the detective feels compelled to rest their eyes...just for a second….

The last thing Goro sees before passing out is their phone’s bright red screen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [references for the characters](https://foolgoro-au.tumblr.com/post/620597814198681600/references-for-chapter-1-all-pq-edits-akira-is-a)


	2. I HATE IT HERE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji doesn't know what's going on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [CONTENT WARNINGS: Kamoshida!]
> 
> Ryuji uses he/they pronouns! Goro will be referred to with he/him in Ryuji's POV for now

Ryuji sighs as they snap open their umbrella. It’s a good thing their mom shoved it into their arms as they were about to leave; at least now they won’t have to worry about being _WET_ during their first day as a second year…

The Shujin student tugs on the collar of their turtleneck. They weren’t used to wearing such tight clothes. Unbuttoning the blazer lets them breathe a little better, but that doesn’t help them from feeling off. Ryuji rubs the back of their head, their hair back to their natural black. They would dye it back but...too risky. They don’t wanna stick out too much while _he’s_ still around.

Ryuji’s lamenting is interrupted when they notice a tall figure standing down the street. They squint and are able to make out blue hair and a red sweater. “Yusuke!” Ryuji grins widely and begins to run towards their friend.

Their shouts are drowned out by the sound of a car pulling up besides Yusuke. They slow down as they see the other student walk towards the car, shutting the car door without a word. Ryuji’s smile dissipates and turns into a glare as they walk towards where their friend once stood. They kick the ground, realizing that this would be a mistake moments too late.

“Ow!” They reach down to rub their leg, growling at the pain. “Lousy goddamn pervy teacher…”

“Hm?” 

Ryuji whips their head around to see a young man in a detective’s coat standing behind them, the sight of the badge causing them to gulp. They go red and begin to stutter, “Uhm, uh I’m sorry about that, sir.” They look down and shift their feet guiltily.

“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal. You go to Shujin Academy, right? I just transferred there myself.” The young man pauses as the phone in his gloved hand buzzes. He grumbles and turns it off.

Ryuji tilts their head. “You’re uh, a Shujin student? For real?” They look him up and down, their eyes finally resting on his freckled face. “What’s your name?”

The student hesitates for a moment, sliding his phone into his back pocket. “Ah, sorry. I’m Goro Akechi. ”

“Akechi, Akechi…” Ryuji taps their chin. “Oh! Aren’t you Kurusu-san’s partner?”

“Yep!” Akechi smiles. “I’m surprised that's the first conclusion you came to...” He gives a sideways glance towards the rain, which is still pouring. 

Ryuji takes a second to follow Akechi’s eyes towards the rain. They look back to the detective, umbrella-less. There’s no way that detective coat could protect him from being damp all day at school. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Do you uh, wanna walk with me to school? We could probably both fit under my umbrella.”

“You-you're really alright with that? Thank you.” Akechi’s eyes shine with gratitude as he steps under the umbrella. “I’ll make sure the school staff holds me accountable if we both end up late to class…” 

“Thanks!” Ryuji smiles widely as their new acquaintance walks with them. Their mom would kill them if they were late on the first day, but with the pace they’re traveling, it looks like the two of them will be just on time. This ‘Akechi’ guy seems like a pretty decent person too! He’s so different from the other detective they know…

“By the way,” Akechi adds. “what did you mean earlier about that teacher?” 

“Oh…” The second year rubs the back of their neck. “That’s uh, the gym teacher, Kamoshida. He’s kinda an asshole, to be honest…” 

Akechi narrows his eyes. “I see.” 

“He’s just...ugh, he thinks Shujin is like his castle or something, y’know?” Ryuji rubs their temple. Maybe it’s just the thought of dealing with Kamoshida again, but they suddenly feel like they have a headache coming on. They grip the umbrella tighter but proceed as usual. “He does so much shit to his students but no one seems to do anything about it…”

“That's…” The other student seems to be at a loss for words. “I’m sorry you have to deal with…. _that._ Though I suppose I will be as well, starting today.” 

“Heh, yeah. Guess so.” Ryuji leads the other student down an alleyway as the rain lightens up. They begin to put down their umbrella as they continue. “Hopefully he’ll be easier on you since you’re a famou- _WHAT THE HELL?_ ”

Ryuji stops dead in their tracks, Akechi following suit. In place of what should have been Shujin Academy sits a large, stone castle, surrounded by a gigantic moat. 

“Th-this isn’t right! This is supposed to be Shujin!” Ryuji runs up to the gate, pacing around in an attempt to look at the building from all angles. _Is this some kinda trick? Like a Roadrunner cartoon?_

Akechi mutters something under his breath as he follows them. “Hey, ma-maybe we shouldn't go near it. I’m sure you just...took a wrong turn.” 

“I-I could have sworn that I didn’t I-” They turn their attention back towards the gate. Sure enough, inscribed on the sign on the wall is _Shujin Academy_. Ryuji was right. “What the…”

The detective inhales through his teeth upon seeing the sign. “That's...quite odd.” 

“I-I’m sorry I led us here…” Ryuji looks back to Akechi apologetically. “But… this should be Shujin so… I guess let’s go check it out?”

“I really don't think this is a good idea.”

Noticing Akechi’s apprehension, Ryuji gives him a pat on the back for comfort. “Hey, uh… don’t worry! It’s probably okay! Maybe they just did some remodeling since last year!”

“I was at the school just yesterday and it did _not_ look like this.” 

“Oh! Are you sure?”

“...yes.” The detective tugs on Ryuji’s sleeve, trying to pull them away. “Let’s just go back the way we came.” 

As soon as the detective finishes speaking, a loud scream echoes from inside the castle. Ryuji yelps and instinctively grabs onto the thing closest to him, which just so happens to be Akechi. “Oh- uh, Sorry.”

Akechi seems to heat up. He clears his throat while gently pushing Ryuji off of him. “I-It’s alright.” 

Ryuji brushes themself off. What it is that they’re brushing off they don’t know, but they have to do something to reduce their embarrassment. After shaking their head, they turn their attention back towards the castle. “Wh-what the hell’s goin’ on in there?!?”

Akechi places his hand back onto Ryuji’s sleeve. “I-I’m not sure, but seriously I think we’re better off-”  
Ryuji pushes the hand off of them. “Sorry, dude, but I think we should check it out. It sounds like trouble in there and we can’t just sit here while someone’s getting hurt right?”

Ryuji hears Akechi stutter a bit before turning around and running into the palace themself, leaving the detective in the dust. Akechi groans before following them.

The teenagers are greeted by an entryway decorated with velvet rugs and a huge staircase. Ryuji whistles as they look up at the gaudy chandeliers. “Holy shit…”

“There. We’ve seen the inside now.” Akechi urges. He seems unusually tense.

“Dude, ain’t you supposed to be a detective?” Ryuji crosses their arms and taps their foot. “I get that it’s weird, but don’t you wanna at least find out what the hell’s happenin’ here?”

“Mmm, nope! Not particularly! Let’s go!” Akechi grabs Ryuji by the arm and tries to drag them out of the castle, despite the younger student’s protests.

“Intruders!”

Ryuji and their new acquaintance both whip their heads around to look towards the source of the yell. The sound of creaking metal grows louder as an armored guard approaches them. 

“W-who are you?” Ryuji asks. “Does the school have knights now? We can afford those?!”

“We need to leave. _Now._ ” Akechi hisses. He tugs even harder.

Akechi’s exit is immediately blocked by the appearance of more guards. The detective growls as Ryuji begins to panic. They pull themself closer to him in order to gain some distance from the armored men. “Uhhhhh...Do you have any idea how to deal with knights?”

The other stands defensively in front of Ryuji, or as much as he can with knights now surrounding them on all sides. “ _Get out of my way_.” He demands. 

The knights respond by taking a step closer. One approaches Akechi and raises its sword, whacking him in the head. The detective falls onto the ground, unconscious. Ryuji reaches out to grab him, managing to squeak out a “No!” before succumbing to the same fate.

* * *

Ryuji’s vision becomes clearer as they regain consciousness. They rub their head and groan, only to realize that they’re in some sort of holding cell. They pull themself up off of the stone floor and look to the ground beside them, seeing that their acquaintance’s unconscious body has landed in an uncomfortable-looking position.

 _Oh god, is he dead?_ Ryuji begins to panic. They place both hands on their head and look around the room. It’s dark and damp, with two benches and some barrels to break up the isolation. Water drips from the ceiling onto the detective’s face. No reaction. _What...what was his name again!?_ “Hey uh...Mr. Detective Man!” Ryuji shakes the unconscious body as tears begin to well in their eyes. “Wake up! Please!!!”

The body groans. “Mmm...five more minutes, Futaba.”

“I’m not Futaba, I’m Ryuji!” They wipe away the tears and begin to shake the detective with even more vigor. “And now’s not the time for sleeping!”

“Wh-wha…” Akechi’s eyes flutter open. He groans again and clutches his head as he sits up. “You…” His eyes widen as he focuses his eyes on Ryuji. “Where are we?”

“I-I don’t know! Some kinda cell I guess?” Ryuji stands up. “Do you know a way out?”

“Shit. No, I...I don’t.” Akechi pulls himself off the ground as well. His eyes dart around the cell. 

Ryuji walks towards the bars and begins to pull on them. They grunt loudly before exhaling and giving up. “No good. These bars are too thick for my massive muscles.” 

Akechi, clearly impressed, winces at the word _massive_. “Right, well try not to make too much noise.” 

“Why no-EEP!” Ryuji nearly falls to the ground as they see a knight appear in front of the cell. They look up at the guard, who stands motionless. “Hey...buddy.”

“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is ‘unlawful entry.’”

“Wh-Unlawful entry!? How is it unlawful?” Ryuji cries. “This is a school!”

Akechi sighs as the guard ignores them and continues, “Thus, you will be sentenced to death.” 

“WHAT!?”

Akechi grabs Ryuji’s arm and pulls them behind him. “Calm down.” He mutters. 

“Calm down!? What the hell’s goin’ on here?”

“Isn’t it obvious, Sakamoto?” A familiar voice says. A tall man in a flashy cape approaches the cell, bearing a devilish grin. “Or do you need me to spell it out for you?”

Ryuji’s face falls. “K-Kamoshida?” 

“Tsk tsk, Where’d that vigor from before go? Looks like you haven’t changed at all from last year.” Kamoshida turns towards the detective. “And you brought a friend this time...because you can’t do anything for yourself.”

Before Ryuji can respond, Akechi growls. “Fuck off, we aren't here for your treasure. Just let us go.” 

“Treasure?” Kamoshida squints. “How do you know about that?”

Ryuji looks towards Akechi in shock. “Do you know Kamoshida?!”

The detective frowns. “What? No, I just-” 

“Well now, it looks like you two are even more trouble than I thought.” Kamoshida gestures for the knights to open the door. It creaks open as he steps towards the two students. “Not only do you sneak into my castle, but you threaten to steal the treasure of the king?”

“That is not what I was trying to say!” Akechi steps back and puts his arm in front of Ryuji defensively.

Ryuji hides behind the taller boy as their voice trembles. “W-what is he talking about?”

Kamoshida whistles to the guards, who forcefully separate Ryuji from their friend by knocking them to the ground. The knights grab Akechi and pin him to the wall.

Ryuji attempts to pull themself up, but freezes as the “king” stands over them with a wild look in his eyes. “You and your little friend here have committed a crime, Sakamoto, and the punishment for that...is death.”

“No!” Akechi yells as he struggles against the armored enemies.

Ryuji barely has time to react before they are kicked square in the ribs. They cough as the wind is knocked out of them. As soon as they are able to breathe again, they begin to hyperventilate. They look up at the king and cry, “S-stop! Please!”

Begging was hopeless, and Ryuji knew that. Kamoshida refuses to listen and keeps kicking. Ryuji screams in agony, only interrupted by the blows. They attempt to grab their leg, pulling it towards them and ending up in a sort of fetal position. This pain is all too familiar to them. Somehow, they are feebly able to produce a “S-s-stop….” to no avail. They don’t attempt to fight back. They don’t want to get hurt again.

It’s at that moment that Akechi manages to squirm out of the knights’ grip. He immediately goes for Kamoshida, tackling him to the ground with rage-filled eyes. Ryuji opens their eyes widely as soon as the blows stop, but finds themself unable to move.

The knights step forward to protect Kamoshida, but pause as a flash of blue light surrounds Akechi. His uniform transforms into a prince-like costume, fitted with a long, light gray coat with red stripes, gold tassels on the shoulders, and a red, pointy mask. 

Akechi stands tall and rips his mask from his face. The mask dissolves into blue flames as a large, muscular glowy guy appears behind Akechi. 

“Take them down, Robin Hood!” The detective yells. 

Through their pain, Ryuji manages to whisper a “holy shit” as the muscular man fires arrows at the guards. Akechi commands the thing to shoot a spell at Kamoshida, who is slammed into the wall by the force of the blow. 

Once all of the knights are gone, the buff chad disappears; the mask fades back onto Akechi’s face. “Grab the keys!” He points to the area next to Ryuji, where one of the knights disappeared. 

Ryuji wordlessly swipes at the keys as quick as they can muster, and attempts to stand up. It’s difficult but they manage to get up on their feet, still shaken. They follow Goro out of the cell, their hands tremble as they put the key into the lock and turn it.

Kamoshida shoots himself towards the bars and reaches out to grab the teenagers, but by the time he gets up the two of them are out of reach. “You bastards!” He growls.

Akechi smirks. “It seems the king has fallen.” He turns his back to Kamoshida and begins walking, motioning for Ryuji to follow.

“U-uh wait, hold on!” Ryuji **_YEETS_ ** the keys into the river flowing by the cell. They turn back towards Kamoshida and blow a raspberry before being dragged away by Akechi, ignoring Kamoshida’s shouts.

* * *

As soon as the two reach a safe place and Ryuji manages to catch his breath, they ask, “Dude, what’s with the outfit?”

“I uh...I don’t know.” The detective shakes his head. “That doesn’t matter right now. We need to find a way out of here.” 

“U-uh, right.” Ryuji nods, not wanting to question Akechi right now. They just want to get out of here…

Akechi takes off again as Ryuji follows close behind. They haven’t run this much in a while, but they try to ignore the growing pain in their leg. As the two run through the dungeon, the screams get louder. Ryuji spots some strange figures hanging in cages, but they shield their eyes as they run past. They don’t want to have any part of this crazy place anymore. 

Unfortunately, this causes Ryuji to not focus on where they’re walking. They end up bumping into Akechi as he screeches to a sudden stop. “Ow!”

Akechi tsks. It seems that their escape has been blocked by a raised drawbridge. “Dammit, this can’t be the end.” 

Ryuji groans and leans on a nearby statue of Kamoshida’s face as they rub their stomach. Hopefully, their ribs aren’t bruised... “What do we do now?”

“Excuse me!” 

Ryuji and Akechi nearly jump at the high-pitched voice. 

“Over here!”

The two students cautiously walk towards the source of the voice. They find that it originates from a nearby cell, and is produced by...some sort of...fluffy cat thing?

“‘Hello!” The thing swishes its tail as it holds the cell bars. “ Would you two boys kindly save me from my imprisonment? The key to the cell appears to be hanging right next to the door!” It gestures towards the key with its tiny paws.

Akechi stares at the cat with the most disturbed expression Ryuji has ever seen. He almost looks like he’s trying to solve a math problem. Ryuji can’t help but stare as well.

The cat thing pouts. “Why are you looking at me with that eerie expression, my good sir? Have you never seen a lady before?” It bows, taking off its comically large feathered hat and revealing its eye mask. 

“I’m- I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see….. _you…_ here,” Akechi explains, taking a few steps towards the key on the wall. His eyes narrow. “What’s in it for us if we release you?” 

The cat places its hat back onto its head and adjusts its belt. “You two look like you’re in need of an escape, are you not? I know the way out of this castle, and I would happily provide my assistance.”

Ryuji shakes themself back into reality. “Y-yeah! We could use some help!” They reach past Akechi and grab the keys, but hesitate before putting them into the lock. “Waaaaait...you’re not some kinda enemy are you?”

“Most certainly not, sir! Why would I be put into a cell if I was working for the ruler of this palace? I heard him shouting at you before, and it appears that we have the same enemy!” 

Ryuji shrugs. That’s a decent enough explanation. They comply and unlock the cage, allowing the cat-thing to run free.

“Thank you so much!” The cat jumps atop of the Kamoshida statue. “I am forever in your debt, but I don’t think I happened to catch your names?”

“Uh, I’m Ryuji Sakamoto.”

“Goro Akechi. And yours?” 

The cat bows again. “My name is Haru. Thank you, Sakamoto-kun and Akechi-kun, for your kindness!”

Ryuji can’t help but blush at Haru’s politeness. Akechi, however, is unfazed. “Right,” he says. “so about helping us…” 

“Oh, yes! Of course!” Haru jumps down and pulls on the statue’s jaw, causing the drawbridge to drop. “Seems there is a hidden switch in this bust.” She swishes her light brown tail once again.

“Thanks.” The detective immediately starts walking across, his long coat flows behind him elegantly. 

The cat bounces in front of him to take the lead. Ryuji lags behind, shoving their hands in their pockets. 

As soon as the three appear to make progress, they are stopped by another guard shoving its way in front of them. Ryuji drops to the ground at the sight of the enemy, letting out a quick yell.

Akechi immediately pulls off his mask. “Robin H-”

“Come, Milady!” Haru interrupts him, summoning a giant woman of her own. Ryuji is at a loss for words.

“You...have a persona as well?” Akechi gawks at her. 

Haru nods quickly, not losing her focus on the enemies. “Psio!” She shouts, as her magic lady’s dress opens to reveal several Gatling guns, which all shoot psychic balls at the enemy. 

The two make quick work of the guard. Haru ushers the other two to keep following her. Ryuji begins to follow but notices that Akechi seems to be lagging behind. 

“Hold on.” Akechi says, addressing Haru. “How can a cat have a persona?”

“Now isn't the time for questions.” The cat responds, looking back. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to leave so badly?” 

“Yeah, well-” Akechi grumbles and averts his gaze. “fine, sorry.” 

She nods. “And again, I’m not a cat.” 

_Persona?_ Ryuji wonders as they follow their new acquaintance. _What was Akechi talking about?_ Whatever, they can ask him later. Right now, they need to focus on escape.

Haru leads the students across the main hall and to a small room off to the side. “This is your best way out.” 

Ryuji scratches their head. “An empty room?”

Akechi looks upwards and crosses his arms. “You want us to climb out the ventilation shaft?” 

_Oh,_ Ryuji looks up at the large hole in the wall. There's a layer of mesh in front of it, blocking the way out. Maybe if they could climb those shelves under it….

“It's the safest option if you don’t want to get caught again.” Haru swishes her tail. “It leads straight out.” 

Akechi hums. “We’ll have to be careful not to-”

Ryuji is already pulling the mesh off before Akechi can finish. They throw it aside with their _massive_ muscles and wince as it clangs on the ground. 

“....make too much noise.”

Ryuji squeezes their way into the vent with a grunt. Another sharp pain in their leg causes them to whine. “Ow…” They pause for a bit, letting their legs hang out of the opening.

Akechi sighs. “Well, it’s off. Thanks….Haru.” 

“It’s my pleasure!”

“Aren’t you coming with?” Ryuji asks from within the vent. “Oh! Echo! echo echo……”

“No,” Haru says. “I’m afraid I still have business here. We will have to part ways.” 

“Aww, Alright.” Ryuji realizes at the point that both the detective and the cat are talking to Ryuji’s ass. They pull their legs into the vent and shuffle so that they’re facing the opening. “W-well, stay safe okay?”

Haru chuckles and smiles.“The same goes for you two.” 

Akechi nods and pulls himself up into the vent. The two students crawl through the vent until they reach the end, which just so happens to lead back to the entrance.

Ryuji groans in relief as they drop onto the ground. “Oughhh, I can breathe again!”

Akechi doesn’t stop to rest and pulls Ryuji back to the alleyway. “If anyone asks, you found me lying on the ground in pain and took me to a small clinic. We’re….” The detective pulls out his phone, then grimaces. “ _definitely_ late for school.”

“Shit...wait what are you doing with your phon-”

* * *

“OOF.” Ryuji suddenly finds themself face down on the pavement. They rub their head, only to see Akechi doubled over next to them, back in his normal outfit. Taking a look around, they find themself back by the street where they met the detective. “Wait, are we back?”

“Yes.” The detective says, between breaths. He raises his head to look ahead; his eyes widen. “Stand up. Get up right now.” 

“Huh-” Ryuji looks up to see two police officers walking towards them. They stand up as fast as humanly possible, causing their vision to go black. They’re still reorienting themself when the cops start questioning the two of them.

“What are you two doing here? A detective and a Shujin student? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Uhm-” Ryuji says, his vision beginning to clear. “Y-yes but…”

“Terribly sorry, officers,” Akechi adds. “you see, this morning I was on my way to school when I found myself feeling faint. It just so happened that Sakamoto-kun was walking by, and helped take me to a local clinic.”

Ryuji nods, avoiding eye contact with the cops.

The officers squint their eyes, but one sighs and says, “Alright, but just hurry back. You two are awfully late as it is.”

“Understood. Come, Sakamoto.” Akechi picks his detective case off the ground and walks towards the school.

Ryuji, unsure of how to end this conversation, waves to the officers before sprinting to catch up to Akechi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Design references!](https://foolgoro-au.tumblr.com/post/621847082107551744/references-for-chapter-2-all-pq2-edits)


	3. Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school can finally actually begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [CONTENT WARNINGS: Kamoshida, Igor]

_Just a bit longer,_ Goro thinks. _then I can go back to class and forget any of this happened._

They were very wrong. 

Sakamoto rubs his eyebrow as the two approach the school gate. “Wh-what? The school seems back to normal now…” He gasps when he sees a figure at the top of the steps, and whispers “Shit, the counselor...” 

A stern-looking man guards the entrance, arms crossed. “Akechi-kun, we just received a call from the police. Is it true that Sakamoto was aiding you?”

Sakamoto looks down and shifts his feet, offering a glance at Goro.

“Yes, sir.” Goro lowers their head briefly before returning their gaze to the older man. “I’m truly sorry; there was a lot going on, so I forgot to contact the school about our delay. I take full responsibility for Sakamoto-kun’s tardiness.” 

The counselor sighs. “The police said you were having problems with your injury?”

“Yes,” Goro says again. “I’m fine now, though I can't say I would have been without Sakamoto-kun’s help.” They look over to their new acquaintance, who gives a sad smile.

“What's going on here?” A third voice says. Sakamoto winces and hides behind Goro as Kamoshida steps forward. 

“Oh, we were just getting back to class, sir.” Goro says, smiling pleasantly. _God, please let this be over soon._

“Akechi-kun?” Kamoshida crosses his arms. “You’re the new transfer student, right? The detective.”

Goro nods and grips their attaché case a bit tighter. “Yes, sir.”

Kamoshida grins. “Ah, well, we’re happy to have you. I’m Suguru Kamoshida. I’m Shujin’s gym teacher and lead volleyball coach.” His eyes shift to Goro’s acquaintance. “I hope Sakamoto wasn’t too much trouble for you.”

“No, sir.” Goro shakes their head. “Sakamoto-kun was quite the asset in helping me find my way here. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

They glance over to Sakamoto again, who nods in response. 

“Hm.” Kamoshida scratches his chin. “Well, that’s good. I was worried that Sakamoto was going to slack off without his morning practice for the track team.”

Sakamoto opens his mouth, but stops himself before speaking. He returns back to looking down at his feet.

Kamoshida seems to smirk. 

“Well, I’m glad that everything worked out.” The school counselor interjects. “Sakamoto, you should come with me. Even if Akechi-kun vouched for you, you have to explain yourself to Principal Kobayakawa. You don’t have a lot of leeway left, you know.” The man gestures for Sakamoto to follow him as he walks towards the school’s entrance.

“Okay...” Sakamoto follows, offering a nod back to Goro. As he walks past Kamoshida, he glares at the coach.

Kamoshida returns the glare until Sakamoto is inside. He turns back to Goro and smiles again, before raising an eyebrow. “Hm, have I seen you somewhere before? Other than on TV, I mean.” He chuckles.

Goro narrows their eyes. “The car this morning- you drove that other student out of the rain.” 

“Oh, that’s right!” Kamoshida says, eyes widening in recognition. “Well, maybe next time you won’t overlook my offer.” 

“We’ll see,” Goro says, gritting their teeth as they climb up the stairs. 

“By the way,” Kamoshida stops the detective before they can walk inside. “you may be a hotshot detective, but you’re only here because it looks good for the school.”

“I could say the same about you.” Goro glares straight up at Kamoshida.

“Tch,” The gym teacher shakes his head. “just stay out of my way. Your teacher is waiting for you in the faculty room.”

* * *

“Do you know how many teenage girls have been asking about you today?” Iwai deadpans. 

Goro shifts on their feet. “Well-”

“Too many.” Iwai cuts them off, then sighs deeply. “This isn’t going to become a habit, is it?”

“No, sir.” Goro shakes their head. Geez, how did they get stuck with the least understanding teacher in the building? “Don’t worry. If anyone asks, I plan on telling them that I had unfinished business to attend to.”

“Uh-huh,” Iwai says, scratching his neck. He stands up and groans. “Well, I’m not introducing you, so please come up with something _before_ we walk in.” 

“Oh- right.” The detective says as they follow their teacher to the classroom. 

As soon as they walk in, the students begin whispering among each other. 

“Is that Akechi-kun?”

“He’s so much cuter in person!”

“Shh don’t say that! Kurusu-san might get jealous.”

Goro resists the urge to gag. 

Iwai, however, does not hide his disinterest as he rolls his eyes and steps up to the front of the classroom. “Don’t bother the new student. You’re all here to learn.” 

Goro clears their throat and addresses the class, “ah, hello. I’m Goro Akechi. I apologize for running a bit late– I was working this morning –but I look forward to being your classmate.” They give a short bow.

“Wow, he’s so polite!”

“I wish he’d sit next to me.”

Goro’s eyes dart around the classroom, studying the new faces. Quite a few of them have bandages and bruises, including one girl in the front. Their gaze meets hers and she quickly looks away, her black ponytail swinging behind her. 

Next to that girl, though, is Nijima, right in the middle column. The brunette girl gives Goro a small smile, which they return. 

Another face Goro recognizes is that boy from this morning, sitting to the right, by the window. His bright red sweater stands out against all the black blazers. He was quite beautiful, especially with the finely done eye makeup. 

“Hm. Akechi, you’ll sit behind Kitagawa.” Iwai grunts.

_So that was his name_. Goro wouldn't have guessed he’d be a third year. They mutter a “thank you” to their teacher and head to the empty desk behind Kitagawa. 

“Quite the act you have there.”

“Hm?” Goro pauses, frowning at the other student. 

Kitagawa averts his gaze and adjusts the key necklace around his neck. “Nevermind.”

“Whoa, do they know each other?” 

“I bet Kitagawa hit on him. Poor Akechi-kun!” 

“Eww! He better pray Kurusu-san doesn't hear about that!"

The classroom chatter resumes for a moment as Goro sits and places their attaché case down.

“All of you, shut up.” Iwai quickly silences them. He rubs his head. “Great, now I have a headache. Let’s just get things started.”

* * *

The rest of school wasn't particularly interesting. Goro tried their best to focus, which was easier than usual with the anxiety of a new environment. Still, they had a bit of trouble catching all the words their teachers said, droning on and on about this and that. The detective nearly sighed in relief when the final bell rang. 

They manage to exit the classroom before Iwai stops them. 

“Hey, so uh…” The older man scratches his head. “I know he’s probably been okay to you and all, but I wouldn't get too involved with Sakamoto-kun. He can be-”

Iwai stops himself as Sakamoto approaches, almost as if summoned. “Speak of the devil.” Iwai sighs. “How did you get here so fast?”

Sakamoto lowers his head and takes a step back. “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt anythin’ I-” 

“No, I was just leaving.” Goro says firmly before Iwai can say anything. They smile at Sakamoto. “Did you need me?”

“Oh, uh…I wanted to talk, yeah!” Sakamoto looks at Goro like an excited puppy. _Cute…_

Iwai shrugs and walks off, leaving the two teenagers alone in the hall. 

Goro adjusts their grip on their case. “Isn’t your class downstairs?”

“Yep,” Sakamoto says. “but we shouldn't chat here. Follow me.” 

The younger boy leads Goro up the stairs. Goro squints at the sign on the roof door. “‘No student entry.’” 

“Pssh, no one actually enforces that. Come on!” Sakamoto shoves the door open. Goro protests, yet follows him anyway. 

Sakamoto jumps up on one of the several desks scattered around and crosses his legs. Goro closes the door behind them gently, careful not to make too much noise. 

“You saw it too, right?” Sakamoto asks, leaning forward. “The castle, I mean.”

Goro hesitates, considering a few lies they could come up with. They meet Sakamoto’s waiting, expectant eyes. No, they can’t hurt him like that. “...Yes, I saw it.” 

“Phew,” Sakamoto pretends to wipe the sweat off his brow. “So I’m not losin’ it!”

“Nope.” Goro pops the ‘P’. “Ah, apologies for asking but….what is your relation to Kamoshida?”

“Mmm,” Sakamoto squirms in his seat. He begins to rub his eyebrow again. “...used to be on the track team. Kamoshida is a bad coach. He totally abuses his students, but like, no one ever does anything about it.” 

Goro sets their case down on a desk and leans against it, crossing their arms. They scowl. “What a bastard.” 

“Yeah....thanks for saving me, by the way.” 

“You’re welcome.” Goro nods. “It’s my fault we were in that mess, anyway.” 

“Huh? Whaddya mean?” 

“Well, my phone is what brought us to the castle.” They pull out their phone and open it to a bright red screen with an eye in the middle. “It’s been stuck like this since last night.”

“For real?” Sakamoto furrows his brow and reaches out towards the phone. He holds it in his hands and studies it. “This app thing brought us to the castle?”

Goro nods. “As far as I know, yes.”

Sakamoto strokes his chin and fiddles with the app. “So...like, what was that?”

“Don’t press anything- I don't know what’ll happen.” Goro snatches the phone back. 

Sakamoto whines. “Aaawww, c’mon! You gotta at least tell me what’s goin’ on right?”

“I don’t know as much as you think,” Goro says, sighing. “Do you want to go back?” 

“Well, duh!”

Goro stares at the floor, considering their options. They really didn't want Sakamoto involved- heck, they didn't want to ever use that app again in the first place. 

“I think,” the detective says. “we may be able to deliver justice to Kamoshida’s victims. That is, if you’re willing.”

“Justice...what do you mean?” Sakamoto’s gaze pierces through Goro’s heart. 

“Mm, it’s complicated,” Goro shakes their head. “but let's try checking out the castle tomorrow after school.” 

“Oh, uh. Okay. I thinkkkkk I’m free? I’ll have to ask my mom…” Sakamoto scratches his head.

“That’s fine, just let me know.” Goro groans and glares at their phone. “I’d add you to my contacts if my phone worked properly.”

“Oh!” Sakamoto reaches out for Goro’s gloved hand and holds it. “I could write my chat ID on your hand so you could add it later?”

Goro feels their face heat up; they forget how to speak for a moment. “Ah, sure- yeah, that's- that's fine, but….why don’t we just use paper?” 

“Do you have any?” Sakamoto glances at Goro’s case. “How much can you even fit in that thing?” 

“Hm?” Goro opens up the case to show him. It's filled with several papers scattered around, almost all bent or misshapen in some way. The only organization to be seen is a folder or two, which hold clean, unfolded paper. Goro grabs one and pulls out a blank sheet of paper. “...probably too big, but oh well.” 

“Nah, that’ll work!” Sakamoto fumbles around in the case until he finds a pen. He clicks it and sticks out his tongue as he writes. “There ya go!”

Written on the paper is Sakamoto’s chat ID, “@oofmybones17”, as well as a small doodle of a dog. 

“That's cute.” 

“Oh, uh, Thanks!” Sakamoto smiles widely. “There’s more where that came from too! If- if you want, that is.”

Goro tilts their head. “More dogs...?”

“...Sure!” 

A soft chuckle escapes Goro’s lips. “I’ll keep that in mind, then.” 

* * *

As the pair walk down the stairs, Goro spots two figures on the second floor. The detective immediately pulls Sakamoto back around the corner and puts a hand over his mouth.

“Say, Kitagawa, why don’t I give you a ride around town? It’s still pretty damp out there; you might not want to walk home.” Kamoshida says, putting an arm around the blue-haired boy. 

Kitagawa stiffens and clears his throat. “My apologies, but I promised my mother I would head back right away.” He shakes himself out of Kamoshida’s grip. 

“Oh right,” Kamoshida says, scratching his chin. “you said she had...an artery block?” 

“Artists block. It’s like athletes foot- but worse.” Kitagawa pulls his hair to the side, out of his face. “I’ll make it up to you when she is feeling better.”

“It’s very nice of you to help her like that, but don’t forget to take care of yourself too.” The gym teacher gives a toothy grin. “It’s enough that you’re always helping out that Mishima boy. I almost feel bad that I keep him at practice so much.” 

The blue-haired boy grimaces. “I’ll be fine, I promise.” 

“There’s that determination. You know, that’s the reason I was curious about you in the first place.” Kamoshida chuckles. “Anyway, I won’t keep you from your family. Have a good night.” He gives Kitagawa a pat on the head and heads downstairs. 

Goro finally lets go of Sakamoto, and breathes a sigh of relief. 

Sakamoto growls, but shakes his head and begins walking towards Kitagawa, who groans when he sees the pair approach. 

“Sakamoto, I don’t have time for this.” 

“Oh, sorry...” Sakamoto shifts his feet. “We were just makin’ sure you’re okay.”

“I’m…” Kitagawa pauses for a moment. “I’m _fine_ , I assure you.”

Goro narrows their eyes, but remains an observer to the conversation.

Sakamoto furrows their brow. “A-are you sure?”

The bluenette shakes his head. “You should be more concerned about yourself, if anything.” 

“R-right…” Sakamoto adjusts his posture. “I just- I didn't know your mom was sick ‘n all.”

...Goro lets out a long sigh, as does Kitagawa. 

“Uh- I should prolly head home, you comin’, Goro?”

 _Goro…_

“Of course, Ryuji.” Goro begins to walk out, leading Ryuji with them. They give a nod to Kitagawa on the way past. 

* * *

The two walk in silence as they exit the building. 

Ryuji rubs his neck and breaks the silence with a quiet, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“So, you know Kitagawa, yes? His situation seems...complicated.”

“Heh, yeah.” Ryuji gazes thoughtfully at the sidewalk in front of him. “I dunno what you’ve heard, but he isn't… like _that._ ” 

“I figured as much. My class is quite chatty, but I doubt much of what they say is of worth.” 

“Yeah, Shujin is fulla rumors.” Ryuji nudges Goro, smiling. “You’re lucky you’re a detective.” 

Goro grimaces. “I’m not sure if rumors about Kurusu and I are ‘lucky’.” 

“Oh, right! I have heard some of those...Geez, how do you even deal with her?” 

“Well, first of all, our relationship isn't anything like they say,” Goro says. “Second of all, I suppose I’ve just grown used to her?” 

“Hm, I guess that makes sense.” Ryuji shrugs. 

“So...” Goro pauses, thinking of how to phrase their thoughts. “We- we’re friends now, right?” 

“F-friends?” A wide smile begins to form on Ryuji’s face as he looks up at Goro. “Yeah! Well, if you want to be. If- if you don't want to that's fine too I just-”

“No, I do.” Goro stops him. “Would I be walking with you if I didn't?”

“...I guess that’s true, yeah!” Ryuji continues to smile as the two approach the subway station. “Well, I should probably hurry home. Wouldn't wanna worry my mom.”

Goro nods, holding out their hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ryuji slaps Goro’s hand and does a few gestures Goro has never seen before. He hooks his thumb around Goro’s.

“What is this?”

“It’s a butterfly handshake! Look-” Ryuji flaps his fingers. “It’s flying!”

...maybe this day isn't as bad as Goro originally thought. 

* * *

Later that night, Goro’s bliss is interrupted. They groan as soon as they open their eyes, sleep suddenly eluding them. A familiar soft melody plays in the background as the detective sits up on a hard concrete slab. 

The Velvet Room looks the same as it always has: blue, cold, and dull. Goro shivers in their thin prison garb and glares at the figures outside the cell. 

Igor, as he calls himself, sits behind his desk in the middle of the circular room filled with empty cells. 

“Inmate, please listen to what we have to say this time.” Says the small boy standing by Goro’s cell, a small clipboard in his black, doll-like hands. He stands straight in his blue warden’s uniform, decorated with small stars, as he gives the prisoner a pleading look. 

“I’m not standing up.” Goro insists. They turn away from the boy, who had previously been introduced as Jose. 

Jose sighs and tips his hat over his round gray hair. 

“You know why you are here, trickster,” says Igor in his low, gravelly voice. “It is time you take your rehabilitation seriously.” 

“Fuck off.” 

“Watch your language, inmate.” The warden warns. “Or I’ll have to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“I’m sure you noticed that I took your progress into my own hands,” Igor says. 

Goro rolls their eyes. “Oh, of course, it was _your_ fault I couldn't close that stupid app.” 

Jose stomps his foot and gives Goro a warning look, which shuts them up. Goro briefly glances at the ball-jointed knees under Jose’s shorts. The boy had similar joints on his elbows, which his blue short-sleeved shirt just barely didn't cover. 

Goro feels sick every time he sees the kid. He looks too much like- 

“Over time, you will become more acquainted with your persona.” Igor continues his speech. “You will also forge bonds, which will aid you in your rehabilitation.” 

Goro listens, but remains seated. 

“This is all for your own good, trickster.” 

“Yes,” Jose nods, smiling. “and fate won't let you avoid us again. Please take care, inmate. I’d hate to see you fail.” 

“What happens if I do?” Goro asks.

The small boy hums. “Well, you’ve seen that new palace for yourself, haven't you? Are you really going to leave it like that?”

“What, Kamoshida? I-” Goro bites their lip. Kamoshida is a horrible man, and Goro probably hasn’t even seen the worst of it yet. They really didn’t want to get involved with all this magic stuff, but the kid had a point….

“Fear not, trickster.” Igor says. “The ‘game’ has only just begun. We will meet again soon.” 

“Wait-” Goro is interrupted by the blaring sound of alarm bells. 

“Night night, inmate!” Jose waves. “Rest well.” 

And the blue fades to black as the prisoner is sent into a dreamless sleep.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like our work? Consider sharing your thoughts with a comment! :] we love seeing readers' opinions on the story and characters, and it encourages us to keep going!


	4. I LOVE IT HERE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [CONTENT WARNINGS: Kamoshida, abuse, unintentional misgendering, teacher/student relationship]
> 
> WE'RE ALIVE just busy with school!

The bell startles Ryuji as he doodles in his notebook. After collecting his composure, the second year brushes off the eraser shavings and proudly observes his handiwork: a shark on a surfboard, with some aviator sunglasses and pirate swimming trunks for flair. 

As Ryuji opens his bag to put the notebook away, he notices It’s a little bit more full than usual. Oh duh, it’s because Ryuji stuck a toy gun in there! He and Goro are going to the Metaverse today, so he figured maybe if he brought a weapon, he could help scare off the shadows! ‘Course, it’s a toy gun…it doesn’t even look that real. In fact, it’s more of a space laser than anything, it even lights up and makes shooting noises.  _ Maybe this was a stupid idea... _

Ryuji sighs as he continues his task, but before he can put the notebook back into his bag, a palm slams down onto the desk.

“Hello, Sakamoto,” Kurusu purrs with a smug smile. 

The shorter student instinctively grabs his notebook, shoving it into his lap. “H-hey, Kurusu.”

“Awww, c’mon. You don’t have to hide stuff from me.” Kurusu studies Ryuji as she moves to sit on the edge of the desk. “Nice uniform you got there. I never thought I’d see you wear it properly. You always wore such  _ funny _ outfits last year.”

“I could say the same about you,” says Ryuji. A good comeback to conceal the fact he’s trying not to be hurt by Kurusu’s comment.

The girl scoffs. “I explained this to you last year. I simply decided to wear the boy’s uniform to protect myself. I’m a famous detective after all; I can’t have boys peeping at me while I flounce around in a schoolgirl’s outfit.” 

Ryuji glares at the detective as he finally puts the notebook away. “What do you want from me?”

“I just couldn’t help but notice that you were palling around with Akechi-kun yesterday…” 

“Yeah. I met him on the way to school and he almost passed out.”

“Is that so..?” She twirls her ponytail. “That’s odd. I thought he said he recovered...”

“Weird.”

“...Well, I was just curious as to how a detective like him came to know someone so...unique,” Kurusu adds with a hum.

Ryuji shrugs as he stands up and puts on his bag. “Sorry, but I gotta go.”

“Why the rush, Sakamoto? Can’t even stay to chat for a bit with a cute girl?” Kurusu narrows her eyes as she gives her ponytail another twirl, leaning back on the desk with her signature smug look.

Ryuji blushes and, being unprepared for this situation, decides to make an escape in the most eloquent way possible. “...I have to pee.” He grabs his bag and speedwalks out of the classroom, not looking back to see Kurusu’s reaction.

Ryuji reaches the safety of the great outdoors quickly but is unable to even catch his breath before his phone buzzes in his pocket.

**Unknown #: Hello? This is Goro :] I finally fixed my phone, so I am able to text now.**

Ryuji’s eyes light up, it’s his new friend! He immediately puts Goro’s contact in his phone.

**DOGCHAMP: Oh hey!!!!! What’s BONKIN?**

**BUDDY: Pardon?**

**DOGCHAMP: What’s up?**

**DOGCHAMP: I’m tryna make up new slang ;3c**

**BUDDY: Oh, okay.**

**BUDDY: Well, I’m waiting in the alley outside the school gate. I figured it was best if we don't draw attention to our interactions…sorry.**

**DOGCHAMP: gogit**

Ryuji groans at his spelling error. 

**DOGCHAMP: got it**

* * *

Sure enough, Goro was there waiting. The detective leans against the alley wall, wearing black sunglasses and a gray hoodie.

“That your disguise?” Ryuji tilts his head.

Goro slides his sunglasses down and looks side to side. “....yes.”

“Looks dope, bro!” The second year bounces on his toes. “I feel like we’re doin’ somethin’ super sneaky.”

“Hm, I suppose we are sneaking into a castle.” Goro pulls out his phone. “Are you ready?” 

“Sure am!” Ryuji nods. “But...what exactly are we gonna do?”

“Likely just a small investigation, for now. We can check the place out and see if there's anything we can use against Kamoshida. Of course, whatever we see in there, we’ll have to prove it in the real world.” 

“Okay...I’m lost.”

Goro sighs. “Right. Why don’t we try to find that cat and ask her some questions? We can find out what exactly that...place is.” He brushes the thought away. “Well, here we go.”

With a click of a button, the teenagers are warped back to the castle.

Ryuji stumbles. That’s gonna be hard to get used to, but hopefully they’ll get the information they need from Kamoshida and only have to do it one more time! They look over to their companion, who’s back in his prince uniform. “So, does that outfit have somethin’ to do with that fursona or whatever you call it?”

“Persona.” Goro corrects. “And I’m afraid I don’t know.”

“Well, what  _ do  _ you know?” 

The detective hesitates for a moment. “I....this castle is a result of Kamoshida’s twisted heart. He has a treasure deep in the castle, which is the root of his ‘distorted desires’.” Goro hums. “And...my persona is a representation of my rebellion against society. At least, that’s what Robin Hood told me.” 

“It talks?!” Ryuji shouts.

“On occasion.” Goro shrugs. 

“Excuse me!” 

The two students whip their heads around to see Haru trot up to them, crossing her little cat arms. “You two are very loud.” 

“Oh shit! The cat’s back!” Ryuji exclaims. 

“How many times do I have to tell you! I am a  _ lady! _ ” Haru scoffs as she sticks her pink nose in the air.

“S-sorry…”

“It’s alright,” the lady sighs, “but you two should really quiet down. The castle has been on high alert ever since you left yesterday- wait, why have you come back!?”

Goro shifts on his feet. “Do you blame us for being curious? We have some questions if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, like what the hell is this place? This ain’t the school right?” 

“Technically yes, but also no. This is still the school, just a distorted version as seen by the palace’s ruler, which just so happens to be a castle!”

“Palace’s ruler? You mean Kamoshida?” Goro asks.

“If that’s what he is called, then yes! Palace’s are a projection of the palace ruler’s inner psyche blahblahblahblahblahblah….”

Ryuji begins to sing the Mob Psycho 100 OP 2 - 99.9% in his head. It’s pretty catchy.  _ Get ready. We’re here to psyche you up Mob! Get ready we’re here to psyche you up, Mob!  _ Ryuji has never seen the second season, but he’s watched the opening at least 20 times while watching anime openings at 2 am last night.

He makes it through the entire song before realizing,  _ Oh shit, Haru’s talking.  _

“Did you catch all that?” she asks.

“Uh...no.”

“I said: Palace’s are a projection of the palace ruler’s inner psyche-”

Goro interrupts her, “I-uh, think that it’s best we move on. We can learn as we go, correct?”

“Well, yes. I suppose so.” 

A scream rings out from the castle, just like the ones from yesterday. “AGAIN?” Ryuji shouts, which causes Goro to wince. 

He turns towards Haru. “Who was that?”

Haru shakes her head. “I’m not certain, but it’s probably one of the slaves that Kamoshida has locked up in the dungeon.”

“SLAVES?” 

“Yes. Didn’t you see them as we were escaping the dungeon a few days ago?”

Ryuji averts Haru’s gaze. He remembers completely ignoring the castle’s surroundings as they made their escape. “S-shouldn't we save them?!”

“We can’t exactly do that. They’re just cognitions of Kamoshida’s palace, not the real people they represent in your world.”

“Perhaps we could still check them out,” Goro suggests. “It would give us an idea of how Kamoshida views them, yes?” 

“Ooooh. That would be beneficial. Searching for the cognitions’ real life counterparts might help change the palace itself.” Haru taps her chin. “In that case, I would gladly help you two! You may need some extra woman power since Sakamoto-kun doesn’t have a persona.”

Goro cringes but nods in agreement. “Yes...thank you.”

Ryuji pouts and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “...I’m not gonna drag you guys down right?”

The second year’s moping is interrupted by Goro placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re fine. Just be careful.” He turns to Haru. “Since you know this palace best, would you like to lead the way?”

The lady nods. “Of course! I’d be honored to.” She hops her way over to the side of the castle, and stops underneath a vent. “This is the same vent you exited out of, correct? This will be our infiltration point!” She uses her  _ massive _ muscles to push a barrel underneath it, then hops on top of it and begins to crawl through the vent with a “Follow me!”

“After you,” Goro says with a smile. 

Ryuji sighs at the thought of squeezing back into that small vent, but pulls himself up onto the barrel and manages to push his way in. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember where the vent ends and falls onto the ground, face first. “Oww…”

As Ryuji rubs his head, Goro hops out of the vent. “So, which direction are the cognitions?”

“This way, follow me!” Haru runs off- wait do her feet move like Sonic the Hedgehog? She’s so fast! 

Goro seems to pause for a second before running after her, leaving Ryuji to lag behind. “Hey guys, wait for me!”

* * *

The three run through the castle, managing to reach the dungeon before Haru stops dead in her tracks. “Quick, hide!” She pulls the two teenagers to the side.

The lady peeks around the corner. “Oh, fiddlesticks!” she shouts as she turns back to face the others. “There’s a guard in the way. Looks like we’ll have to fight from here on out.”

“Then why are we hiding?” Goro asks. 

Ryuji, wanting to also be a part of this conversation, adds, “We need to uh, think of a plan!”

“Exactly! This is the perfect opportunity to perform my technique for a sneak attack!” 

“Hm,” Goro puts his hand to his chin. “I suppose that would be quite helpful.”

“Alright!” Haru sneaks her way towards the guard on her tiptoes (tip-paws?) and 30-foot vertical leaps onto his neck. In a fit of violence and rage, Haru rips the knight’s helmet off with a maniacal laugh. Black and red stuff squirts out of the guard’s mask until it transforms into some sort of monster. Haru lands on her feet and whips out her axe and her magic lady, ready for battle.

Ryuji’s jaw drops as he watches the cat. Looking over to Goro, it seems like he’s just as shocked.

Haru looks over to the others. “Well don’t just stand there, we have to fight now!”

Goro gulps and nods. “Stay back, Ryuji. We’ll make this quick.” He brushes his arm against Ryuji’s as he walks forward and readies himself for battle.

“Wait I-” Ryuji begins to take off his bag, but by the time he looks up Goro and Haru are already fighting. Ryuji sighs again and re-secures his bag. Stupid Ryuji... it’s not like it would even help anyway.

The three continue through the dungeon, Goro and Haru leading the charge with their _ fursonas _ or whatever, while Ryuji lags behind. The only break in the monotony comes when Haru and Goro stop next to a corner.

“Gosh darn!” Haru whispers. “There are three enemies! If only we had some kind of projectile...that would cut down the amount of time it takes to fight them tenfold.”

“ _ MMMMMMMMMM… _ ” Ryuji whines. He doesn’t want to mention he could help because it’s a stupid idea, but some part of him still wants to bring attention to himself. 

“Hm?” Goro says. “Is something wrong, Ryuji?”

“Nah, it’s nothin’.”  _ Don’t say it, don’t say it.  _ “But...I might have something to help?”

_ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH _ .

“Oh? What is it?” Goro asks. 

“Uhm, perhaps we should hurry this conversation along.” Haru peeks around the corner again. “The shadows are coming!”

“W-well, I brought...this.” Ryuji slowly opens his bag and pulls out the toy. Is his hand shaking? Haha. “S-sorry, I know it’s kinda stupid but-”

“Oooh, is that a gun?” Haru reaches out to examine it.

“Y-yeah, but- it’s fake.” Ryuji hands her the toy. “It’s not like it’s gonna do anything.”

“Hmm…” Haru runs around the corner with the weapon. Ryuji and Goro peek around. 

_ What is she even planning to do with that thing? _ Ryuji thinks to himself. Goro’s confused look shows that he probably shares the same sentiment. 

The two watch as the cat places her paw-finger on the trigger. Much to Ryuji and Goro’s surprise, the gun fires loudly with a  _ PEW! _ Haru laughs as she begins to take down the three enemies. As soon as they’re nothing more than puffs of smoke, she dusts off her paws and returns the gun back to Ryuji.

“W-what was that?” Goro asks, his voice shaking.

Ryuji’s hands shake even more now! He gently takes the gun from Haru, stuttering out his words and trying to calm himself down by swaying back and forth. “T-that shouldn’t have fired! It’s not even a real gun! Just look at it!” 

“Well, apparently it’s real enough for the Metaverse!”

“W-what?” Goro asks.

“The metaverse is based on cognition! If the opponent thinks that a weapon is real, then it will act like it! Looks like those two shadows thought it was realistic enough that it worked on them!”

“So are you saying we could bring in fake weapons and use them to defeat shadows?” Goro puts a hand to his chin.

“If they look realistic enough, then yes! Take mine, for example,” Haru digs into one of the pockets on her belt for a few seconds before pulling out  _ A GRENADE LAUNCHER OH MY GOD??? _

“WH-HOW DID YOU FIT THAT IN YOUR POCKET?” Ryuji shouts. 

Haru shrugs. “The Metaverse is an enigma, Sakamoto-kun. If you believe you can do it, then you can!”

“Why did you not just use that one in the first place?” Goro squints at the cat.

“I didn't want you to feel overwhelmed by my raw power!” Haru explains. “Now that two of us have firepower, though, I will not hold back.”

“Well then...good job on bringing the gun, Ryuji.” 

“Oh- uh, no problem!” Ryuji blushes a bit at the praise before handing Goro the gun. ”But, er- you should take this, Goro. It’d be safer with you since you can battle these things and stuff.”

The detective takes the gun with a nod. “Thank you.” He smiles at Ryuji, maybe with a look of pity? Ryuji can’t tell, but he can’t help but feel like he’s letting him down. He provided the gun, yeah, but what else is he even doing here?

“Ahem.” Haru clears her throat, snapping Ryuji back to reality. “Perhaps we should keep moving, we don’t want more shadows to find us.”

“Yes.” Goro follows Haru without question, leaving Ryuji to lag behind once again. He sighs as he follows, at a slower pace this time.

The three eventually come upon a huge doorway. Ryuji looks up at the sign above to see it leads to… “Kamoshida’s Training Hall of Love!? EW!”

Haru jumps ahead of the two teens. “Indeed, it is quite disgusting...are you sure you two want to go in there? There could be dreadful things in there…”

Ryuji takes a step forward. “It can’t be worse than the things I’ve already seen from Kamoshida in real life. We have to do this.” 

He looks towards Goro, who nods in response. “Let’s go.”

At first, the Training Hall doesn’t look any different than the dungeon Ryuji and Goro were thrown in. Ryuji walks ahead, puffing out his chest and marching next to Goro. “This ain’t too bad, is it?”

Before Goro can speak, the hall is encompassed by an ear-piercing scream. The detective covers his ears and grunts.

“Agh- don't worry, I’ve got this. We’ll be outta here in no-time.” Ryuji assures him, making his way over to the large cells. Inside, he sees numerous volleyball players all being tortured by Kamoshida’s goons. Treadmills, cannonballs, whips- Ryuji even hears a few students begging for water.

_ This is effed up… _ However, Ryuji manages to look past the torture devices and intently memorizes every face he sees. As the team moves along, Goro continues to cover their ears, the frequency of screams increases, and Ryuji begins to feel a bit more anxious. He begins to move quicker before stopping at one of the cells. “Hey, uh. Is it just me or do these guys’ faces look a little jacked up and...pixely?”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to point that out.” Haru frowns. 

“Perhaps Kamoshida doesn't see a point in giving them more distinct features...” Goro shrugs, wrapping his arms around himself. “It doesn't matter. Just finish this up; I’d like to go home.”

“We can’t leave yet!” Ryuji cries, gripping onto the bars. “Look how many more cells we have to look at! We can’t just ignore them!”

Haru looks down the endless hallway of cells and sighs. “Sakamoto-kun, I told you before. These students aren’t real, they’re just Kamoshida’s cognition. We came here to investigate, not save them all.” 

“But they’re based on people in real life right!?” Ryuji is holding back tears at this point. Why...why is he so torn up about this? He has to stay strong, keep his cool in this situation, like Goro. “We have to get all of them!”

“Ryuji- please. We need to get out of here.” He places a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. “This castle is dangerous. Don’t you think we have enough information to investiga-”

“NO WE DON’T!” He swipes Goro’s hand off of his shoulder and steps away. “We have to keep going and-” Ryuji sniffles. Shit, no. They can’t cry now. Not now. “I’ll go to find the rest myself.”   
He runs off, ignoring Goro and Haru’s shouts behind him. 

More faces, more faces, more faces; Ryuji runs from cell to cell. It takes longer to memorize faces when you’re crying, who knew! 

Ryuji makes his way down the hall but stops as soon as he reaches a dead end. “GODDAMN IT!” Ryuji punches the stone wall in front of him.

“Did you hear that?”

Ryuji freezes. Armored footsteps stomp towards him.  _ No. Nononono.  _

He should’ve known that running off alone was a bad idea. He did but...he didn’t think. He was so preoccupied with being useful that he stopped thinking all together. But now there’s nothing to do but shrink into the wall behind him as the guards approach. Once again, Ryuji can’t do anything to stop them as they grab him. He can’t do anything as they tie him up. He can’t do anything as they knock him out. He can’t fight back… He can’t fight back...

* * *

As Ryuji’s vision comes back, he finds that he’s been dragged back into the main hall of the castle. He groans as he looks up at the chandeliers, still too disoriented to move, not that he could anyways since he’s still tied up.

“Ryuji!”

“Wh-” Ryuji slowly turns his head to see Goro and Haru surrounded by guards.

“Well well, Sakamoto. Looks like we have a repeat of last time don’t we?” Ryuji is tugged upwards by his hair as he comes face to face with Kamoshida’s shadow. “Always having to be saved by your friends.” He tosses Ryuji back to the ground with a thud.

Goro attempts to rush Kamoshida, but is blocked by the line of guards. “Let him go!”

“Don’t poke your nose into other people’s business, detective.” Kamoshida gestures to the knights and they hold Goro’s arms behind his back.

“Akechi-kun!” Haru shouts. “Come Mil-OOFMPH!” The cat lady is silenced by a guard grabbing her by the tail, leaving her to wiggle unceremoniously.

“N-no-” Ryuji is interrupted by Kamoshida placing his foot on his head. Ryuji struggles and attempts to roll out of his grasp.

“Are you still trying to escape?” Kamoshida scoffs. “Maybe you  _ have _ changed since last year.” He kicks Ryuji as he steps off. “Do you know how easy it was to get rid of the track team last year, Sakamoto?”

“W-what?” Ryuji looks back up at Kamoshida with a glare.

“What, did they hit your head too hard?” The shadow laughs. “I’m honestly surprised how quickly it disbanded without you. It’s not like you were anything special.”

Rage seems to help bring Ryuji back to full consciousness. “They disbanded because we didn’t have enough team members.” He growls.

“Oh, I know,” he laughs. “I just find it amusing. In retrospect, I probably didn’t even need to break your leg!”

“YOU WHAT!?” Goro shouts from across the hall. He kicks as he struggles to escape the grasp of the guards.

Kamoshida rolls his eyes and groans. “Can you  _ please  _ shut him up?”

“DON’T HURT HIM!” Ryuji shouts. He struggles to bring himself up, to no avail. 

Kamoshida ignores Ryuji’s outburst. “Tsk tsk tsk, what a nuisance. Though I guess you two share something in common then, don’t you Sakamoto?” The shadow offers a wolfish smile back towards the second year. “Now, as I was saying. I’m beginning to regret putting in that much effort into breaking your leg.”

“Sh-shut up!”

The shadow laughs again. “If I knew better, I probably could have just  _ asked _ you to leave!”

Ryuji’s eyes widen. He struggles some more, “What’s that supposed to mean, you asshole!?”

Kamoshida leans in closer. “I mean, you wouldn’t have argued. Because that’s not what you do, is it Sakamoto?”

Ryuji doesn’t grace Kamoshida with a response.

“You’re always so obedient, Sakamoto. Have you ever done anything for yourself? I mean, look at you. You even changed your appearance to meet other people's expectations.” Kamoshida turns around. “You aim to please. You’re nothing more than a dog who wants to obey its master.”

Ryuji stares at the shadow. He...he’s right. Ryuji can’t do anything for himself, what was he thinking? Even when he tries to help, everything ends up going wrong. Like right now, just when he thought he could finally do something useful, he gets Goro and Haru captured. Why does he even try? When does he even try to please everyone? It never works! Tears fall onto the ropes covering Ryuji’s arms as he stops struggling against them.

“Are you just going to sit there, Ryuji!? Are you just going to listen to this motherfucker?”

Ryuji turns his head towards Goro.

“He broke your goddamn leg, and you’re just gonna agree with him!? He ruined your life! TAKE IT BA-” A guard grabs Goro’s neck, silencing his shouts.

“Keep pressing, maybe that’ll finally silence him for good.” Kamoshida laughs.

Ryuji, despite his restraints, manages to stand up. Goro was the one who was right here, not that bastard Kamoshida. He turns towards the king himself and mumbles, “Shut up.”

“Hm? What was tha-”

“I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU BASTARD!” 

_ “Aye, ye kept me waitin’ for a while, eh?” _

A sharp pain shoots Ryuji’s head, sending him to fall back onto the floor.

“ _ Aren’t ye sick of pleasing people? Don’t you just want to act for yourself? To be free?” _

Ryuji screams as the pain becomes unbearable. 

“ _ It’s clear that acting as a pet hasn’t been working out for ye, seadog. Why not be the captain of your own crew, starting today? This is what the ‘other you’ inside yourself seeks…” _

Although Ryuji struggles to form the words, he knows that somewhere, deep inside of him, he answers ‘yes’ to the voice.

‘ _ Aye! Good boy! Then let our contract begin. I am thou..thou art I. From now on, the skull of rebellion is your flag, henceforth!” _

Ryuji roars as he summons all his strength to release himself from the ropes. They burst into pieces, allowing Ryuji to finally be able to breathe. He stands up again, he feels taller this time as he bares his teeth at Kamoshida and his guards. The rush of adrenaline causes Ryuji to barely notice the weight on his face, but it’s there. And it needs to get off.

Through instinct, Ryuji grabs the mask and yanks it off his face. It hurts, like he’s ripping off his own skin, something that’d been a part of him for way too long. But, as he’s absorbed by a wave of blue flames, he knows that he’s made the right choice.

The flames disperse, leaving the guards and Kamoshida down on the ground, freeing his two friends. Ryuji looks down at his hands, now covered by bright yellow gloves. He looks up to see a tall skeleton man on a boat, a hook in one hand and a crocodile on his leg. Ryuji smiles as he observes his own Persona,  _ Captain Hook. _

“Hell yeah! It’s nice to meet you, Captain!”

“ _ Same to ye, Ryuji :)” _

Goro stands up and gawks at Ryuji’s awesome Persona, croaking out a “Wow…”

“Excellent job, Sakamoto-kun! I should have expected you had the potential too.” Haru leaps to Ryuji’s side. “Shall we help you take out these shadows?”

Before Ryuji can respond, Goro chimes in, “I think that we should let Ryuji lead this battle.” He joins the other two and nods to the new Persona user.

“Alright!” Ryuji grins as he barks, “Let’s blow them away, Captain!”

The battle ends swiftly, with Ryuji using his new awesome lightning powers to blast the shadows away! But as satisfied as Ryuji is, his knees buckle as soon as the fight ends. “Goro, I’m tired.”

Unfortunately, he can’t rest yet, since Kamoshida hasn't been blown away by Ryuji’s raw power somehow. The shadow sneers, “Don’t think getting your weird monster thing changes anything, Sakamoto. You’re still in my castle, which means I control everything…”

Ryuji pushes himself back to his feet as Goro says, “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

As if on command, another figure joins Kamoshida and begins to hang off his shoulder. “Are these rats still scurrying around in your palace?” The tall, blue-headed figure says with a smile.

“Y-YUSUKE?” Ryuji’s jaw drops. “Why are you dressed like that!?”

More like why  _ isn’t  _ he dressed. Yusuke’s outfit consists of a pair of boxers with a bunny tail sticking out of them and a matching rabbit ear headband.

“I told you, I control everything around here.” Kamoshida reaches to stroke Yusuke’s cheek. “I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me.”

Goro audibly retches. “What a disgusting creep…”

“Yeah! Let go of him, you weirdo!” Ryuji steps forward but is interrupted by a tug on his leg.

“As terrible a sight as it is, this most likely isn’t your friend. It’s simply another cognition of Kamoshida’s twisted desires,” Haru says.

“Yeah, well it’s a gross one!” Ryuji begins to rush forward, but trips. He struggles to get up but...no use. Too tired.

“I’m sick of looking at your stupid mugs,” Kamoshida growls. “Guards! Dispose of them!”

Before Ryuji can even see the guards approach, he’s scooped up by Goro and dragged out of the castle with Haru on their heels. The main doors slam shut behind them, but not before King Kamoshida yells out, “Go ahead, challenge me anytime if you don’t value your life!”

Once outside the gates, Goro drops Ryuji onto the ground while the three catch their breath. As Ryuji rests on the ground, he can’t help but notice that he feels like he’s laying on...something. He stands up and realizes that what he felt was...a tail!?!?

“Wh-what the hell?!” As weird as it is, Ryuji’s always wanted a tail. He swings his hips to get it to wag. “Hahaha!”

As Ryuji sways, Goro takes a step closer to examine his cool new costume. “Interesting…”

Ryuji eventually pulls his attention away from the tail to get a better look at his outfit. Cool belt, some kinda rib design on his chest, big metal rectangles on his arms and legs, and a stylish bandana. Neat. “So, this costume’s got something to do with me getting my fursona right?”

“Purrsona!” Haru adds, swishing her tail. “And yes! Much like your persona, your outfit in the Metaverse is a reflection of your rebellious self. It also helps prevent you from being affected by distortions.”

“So…” Goro puts a hand to his chin. “Ryuji’s rebellion takes the form of...a dog’s skeleton.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that, but at its core, it appears so! That is if his mask and tail have anything to show for it!” Haru giggles. 

“Mask? Oh, yeah!” Ryuji pulls the mask off of his face, it was so light he barely noticed it! He gasps and flaps his free hand. “It is a dog skull! THAT’S SO COOL!!!!”

Ryuji’s joy is interrupted by a horrible realization. He places the mask back over his eyes and shouts, “WAIT! WE’RE IN DEEP SHIT! KAMOSHIDA SAW US HERE! WE’RE GONNA BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!”

“Shhh, quiet down!” Haru puts a paw-finger to her cat lips. “We’re in another world, remember? The Kamoshida in  _ your _ world has no knowledge of what happened here today or yesterday. You two are safe.”

“Well that’s certainly a relief,” Goro adds. “But perhaps we should head out before the shadows find us.”

“Wait, just one minute please!” Haru tugs on Goro’s coat. “Now that you two are _both_ capable of helping me, perhaps you would like to hear your end of the deal?” She blinks cutely.

“Actually, I don’t recall you mentioning a deal.” The detective smirks. “We appreciate the help, but we won’t be needing your assistance anymore.” 

Ryuji looks down at the cat, then back at Goro. “Hey wait-”

“It was lovely getting to know you, cat, but we have to get going now.” Goro kneels down and takes Haru’s hat off, giving her a pat on the head before returning the hat. “Good luck, I suppose.” 

“Excuse me!” Haru runs after Goro as he begins to walk away. “I’m not a- hold on a moment!! You didn't even listen to what I was going to ask.”

Ryuji looks back at Haru apologetically, “Sorry uh, we’ll talk to you later or something!” He doesn’t have time to say anything else, since Goro is already on his phone as he activates the weird phone app again.

* * *

_ What an annoying furball. _

Well, Goro certainly wasn’t expecting  _ Ryuji  _ of all people to summon a persona, but at least he’ll be less of a dead weight now. They look down at the other student, who is now on the alleyway ground. “That was quite the spectacle. I’d recommend you get a good amount of rest tonight.”

“Huh? I mean I am tired but,” Ryuji gives a sheepish smile. “I kinda don’t want to be alone after all that.”   
“Your mother isn’t home?”

“Uh, yeah but like, it’s not like I can tell her I fought a guy in underwear.” 

“I see.” Goro averts their gaze for a moment. What exactly is Ryuji expecting from them?

Ryuji jumps up from the ground and puts a hand to Goro’s shoulder, wearing a huge grin on his face. “Would you wanna stop by an ice cream place with me? I can pay!! Sort of a ‘thank you’ for helping me out back there... _ again. _ ”

“Oh.” Goro is not blushing; they are  _ not.  _ “Yes, that’s- I’m fine with that. And ah, it was nothing really. I couldn’t let Kamoshida get away with that, even if it was just a shadow.”

“Well, I’m still grateful! I’ve got your back whenever you need me, bro.” He holds up his hand and smiles, preparing for a high five. 

Fortunately, two years of living with Futaba have prepared Goro for this moment. They slap their hand into Ryuji’s, then hold it in place with a smirk. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Ryuji. I look forward to our continued partnership.”

“Me too!” Ryuji grins widely.

‘I am  _ thou _ , thou art i...

Thou hast acquired a  _ new _ vow.

It shall  _ become _ the wings of rebellion that  _ breaketh _ thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Star Persona, I have obtained the winds of  _ blessing _ that shall lead to freedom and  _ new _ power…’

Goro frowns. Was that a boy’s voice? It certainly wasn’t Robin Hood.

“You good, dude?” Ryuji furrows his brow as he stares up at Goro. “You look kinda... lost.”

“Yes, sorry. Shall we?” Goro releases Ryuji’s hand and leads their new friend out of the alleyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check out our [tumblr](https://foolgoro-au.tumblr.com/)! it's got quite a few design references :)


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